2023 Festival Programme
FRIDAY, MAY 26
7:30pm – 8:30pm
CARIBBEAN COMPLEXITIES
Curdella Forbes
Kevin Jared Hosein
Ingrid Persaud
9:00pm – 10:00pm
CULTURE CARRIERS
Natalie Diaz
Cathy Park Hong
Roger Robinson
10:30pm – 11:30pm
FAMILIAL FICTIONS
Maisy Card
David Chariandy
Alecia McKenzie
Midnight – 2:00am
CALABASHMENT: LIVE AND DIRECT
Concert featuring
Imeru Tafari
Ras-I
& Tanya Stephens
SATURDAY, MAY 27
10:00am – 11:30am
NEW DAUGHTERS OF AFRICA
in conversation with Margaret Busby
Yvonne Bailey-Smith
Taiye Selasi
Namwali Serpell
12noon – 1:00pm
REASONING Presents:
Jeremy Poynting
& Linton Kwesi Johnson
with Kwame Dawes
1:00pm – 2:30pm
OPEN MIKE hosted by Carolyn Cooper
1:15pm – 2:15pm
CALABASH CAFÉ SERIES The Art of Storytelling
2:30pm – 4:00pm
SOMETHING TORN AND NEW
Jonathan Escoffery
Sadie Jones
Tom Zoellner
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
REASONINGS presents:
Padma Lakshmi
in conversation with
Kei Miller
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
OPEN MIKE hosted by Carolyn Cooper
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm
LAURELS & LAUREATES
Kei Miller
Andrew Motion
Olive Senior
9:30pm – 11:00pm
MIX UP MIX UP
Xavier Navarro Aquino
Staceyann Chin
Nicole Krauss
11:30pm – Midnight
SCREENING: Moon Over Aburi
Midnight – 2am
CALABASHMENT: DANCE A KEEP!
DJ Anash
Chromatic Live – HeavyD and Ariez
SUNDAY, MAY 28
10:00am – 11:30am
Tribute reading of Michael Thelwell’s
THE HARDER THEY COME
Caribbean classic read by Jamaican notables.
Blakka Ellis
Sally Henzell
Carol Lawes
Sheldon Shepherd
12noon – 1:00pm
REASONINGS presents:
Joyce Carol Oates
in conversation with
Paul Holdengraber
1:00pm – 3:00pm
OPEN MIKE hosted by Carolyn Cooper
1:15pm – 2:15pm
CALABASH CAFÉ SERIES Writing Reggae
3:30pm – 5:00pm
THE CALABASH ACOUSTIC ENSEMBLE
A Celebration of Third World
Ibo Cooper
Steve Golding
Seretse Small
and special guests